Powerblock Commercial Pro. Dissapointed.

[PCRulesPSDrools]

Bit the bullet and bought a set of commercial pro 50 dumbbells and I'm feeling really ripped off right now.

The problem is the so called steel knurled handles, and the only reason to buy these ( like $200 extra ) are utter garbage. Just picture the cheapest feeling Walmart jobby kids weights feel. Ya know the kind of metal that feels so wrong, you're almost not sure it's actually metal. The pitch on the "diamonds" shaped in the handles is large and flat faced, and there is really no grip afforded at all. Exacerbated by the forces that you can feel playing on the oddly distributed weight ( the play is slight and could be ignored to be clear, but with the handles as they are, you feel everything as a strain on your grip). I was a little off put when my Rogue dumbbells grip was inconsistent, but they are heaven compared to these slippy sliding handles. The plastic/rubber grips on my cheap spin on dumbbells feel infinitely better than these. I'm going to be stuck wrapping these with sports tape permanently, this is maddening. Rubbing your finger across the grooves, the edges feel sharpish, but in practice the surface is down right slick.

2ndly, the "Urethane" stinks like burnt electronics, this concerns me a little. My Urethane Rogue dumbbells have no scent.

Paid $20 over retail since it was the only set I could find in existence and I'd been waiting and watching for months.

Aside from the handle, the functionality of the dumbbells ( switching ) is excellent, and they are good looking, which I assume was the ONLY purpose of the so called steel knurled handles. Thanks COOP garage gym for telling me how awesome these Steel knurled handles should be ( but are not )

WORD TO THE WISE. Don't buy the Steel knurled handles, not even for the same price as the rubber ones. They are NOT LEGIT.

[MajorTendonitis]

For some strange reason the pics are not loading ?

[PCRulesPSDrools]

For some strange reason the pics are not loading ?

Your pics? Or was that a round about way of telling me pics or shens?

[radrd]

Sounds like you should sell them if you can get more than you'd net returning them, assuming returning them is even an option.

[MajorTendonitis]

Your pics? Or was that a round about way of telling me pics or shens?

Yup yours lol. I’m kind of curious as to just how bad they are

Ok just googled it . Are these them ?

[PCRulesPSDrools]

Yup yours lol. I’m kind of curious as to just how bad they are

I could post pictures but it's probably the kind of thing that needs to be felt, the only thing pictures will do is prove that I own them. They look fine until you pick them up and start doing anything other than presses. The problem is that the diamond shapes that are inherent in knurling are both large and flat on their face here, meaning that the only difference between a slick bar and these, are the grooves in the metal which honestly doesn't accomplish much at all. The slightest sweat on and you'll need a death grip on these things to keep em from sliding through your hands.

If you doubt that I own them, I'll post up a couple pics later, I've gotta run out right now though. If I can zoom in enough you'll see the difference in the pitch of the knurling. I'll post a Rogue handle next to it. Might have to wait till morning though because my phone camera tends to not handle low light situations very well, so daylight will be required for a good detailed zoom of the handles.

btw they were ebay nib

[radrd]

Yup yours lol. I’m kind of curious as to just how bad they are

Ok just googled it . Are these them ?

If that's them, I would be skeptical about that knurl just from the pic. Looks decorative and not very grippy/functional.

[supramax]

If that's them, I would be skeptical about that knurl just from the pic. Looks decorative and not very grippy/functional.

The pic is the 90's, not the 50's, but the handle is the same. I have no idea why someone would buy a 50 lb non-expandable commercial set, though.

90 lbs, I could understand.

[Deep-Voiced-One]

If that's them, I would be skeptical about that knurl just from the pic. Looks decorative and not very grippy/functional.

Yeah it looks like a low quality flat scratch design someone keyed into them, I find it kind of weird that their non-commercials have a decent contoured rubber grip, these non-expandable commercial ones have these supposed knurled handles and the expandable commercials have high end "Screwdriver" grooved grips...I almost feel like the steel knurled handles (properly done of course) should've been done on the complete expandable commercial models.

[Heisman2]

This makes me happy I got the non-commercial ones. When I bought them I would have paid extra for the commercial thinking they were better with the knurling as price wasn't really an issue but I didn't even know the commercial ones existed as it wasn't obvious when I looked at their website. Maybe this is why they don't make it obvious.

[C123C]

t I didn't even know the commercial ones existed as it wasn't obvious when I looked at their website. .

Their website it always sucky. My buddy was on it and I pointed him to Rogue's Powerblock page just so he could get detail on each set and how the units/jumps break down. PITA.

I have the old squishy almost neoprene feel inner handle. I really like them. Glad I own that set but wouldn't hesitate to buy a modern set, though I'd want to see the commercials firsthand now.

[Wopsey]

Have a U-90 set and the barbell for them (used to also have the EZ curl for it, regret selling it now) and cannot explain how nice they are to have in a very small space. When I saw the commercial series I was keen on the knurled handles, good to know it's not worth the upgrade.

[Mxchino]

That sucks. My powerblock pro 90’s are awesome.

[PCRulesPSDrools]

Yup yours lol. I’m kind of curious as to just how bad they are

Ok just googled it . Are these them ?

Not quite. Your picture is of the higher weight pair of the same line. Mine are the 50lb non expandable ones. Your picture though very grainy, represents the handle problem in spirit. I'll do pics tomorrow.

[Duplicitous]

I had considered a set of these when they popped up on eBay early this year, but the pics of the handles gave me pause (they looked more decorative than functional as someone said above). I ended up sticking with my Pro EXP set and now I'm glad I did.

[PCRulesPSDrools]

I forgot to do this and now the the sun is down again. For what it's worth, here is a zoomed in picture.

[urbanlifter]

Based on how it feels do you think they used a lighter metal instead of solid steel, aluminum seems to be popular these days with some of the cable attachments (at least American barbell). The feel would be different, probably similar to how my REP technique barbell feels, but the knurling on it is awesome so that may be a bad comparison. Would be interested in seeing better pictures of the handles, but the stinky urethane is definitely a bad sign. I've had 2 sets of the U90 series and never smelled a thing. Of course I never stuck my nose to them so I'm assuming you can smell them while training?

[PCRulesPSDrools]

Based on how it feels do you think they used a lighter metal instead of solid steel, aluminum seems to be popular these days with some of the cable attachments (at least American barbell). The feel would be different, probably similar to how my REP technique barbell feels, but the knurling on it is awesome so that may be a bad comparison. Would be interested in seeing better pictures of the handles, but the stinky urethane is definitely a bad sign. I've had 2 sets of the U90 series and never smelled a thing. Of course I never stuck my nose to them so I'm assuming you can smell them while training?

Ok I've included here a picture I swiped from Ebay of the dumbbell handles, I don't know if this is what you mean, or a different zoom. The handles don't feel like they have any weight to them. I can't explain how I can tell, but my Rogue Knurled handles feel like they are solid steel straight through. The Power Block handles feel hollow, like all the weight is in the 2 Cylindrical bridges and they want to torque. The Powerblock handles are shiny, like a sort of chromed look. I've considered trying to " rough em" with sand paper lol probably a bad idea. It'll be sports tape I think

I could smell them as soon as I opened the box. I googled and found something about their Urethane failing in " warm garages ". They still smell now but I'd need to have them closer to my face, Yeah I'm concerned.

I don't know how much weight to place on this, but my understanding is Urethane shouldn't smell, and my Rogue dumbbells have no scent even point blank sniff and never did.

https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-...lls-defective/

[PCRulesPSDrools]

Might sound like I'm trying to take a dump on these things but it's really a case of " I dropped a huge $$$ and now I'm both disappointed and concerned "

The plus side, the dumbbells are damn sexy to look at and switching with the pin is super satisfying, quicker and easier than I'd even imagined.

I just WISH

Legit solid knurled handles, less weight in the Cylinders, more centered in the handle and I hope the Urethane is more legit than the handles.

But Mediocrity may have been stolen from the jaws of perfection.

[urbanlifter]

The plus side, the dumbbells are damn sexy to look at and switching with the pin is super satisfying, quicker and easier than I'd even imagined.

Was going to say, they look really good though! But that handle looks too bright, I'm betting if you contacted Powerblock they'd confirm its a hollow aluminum handle from how you described it. Think I've seen that lawsuit before too, if I recall correctly the big issue that we didn't know about was with the connection points for the side rails, they are thicker portions of urethane and not actually connected to metal. Apparently this makes them prone to becoming fragile and breaking in a non-temperature controlled environment. Never experienced that with mine but I'll be honest in saying that I didn't have them for long enough to find out.

[Duplicitous]

Ok I've included here a picture I swiped from Ebay of the dumbbell handles, I don't know if this is what you mean, or a different zoom. The handles don't feel like they have any weight to them. I can't explain how I can tell, but my Rogue Knurled handles feel like they are solid steel straight through. The Power Block handles feel hollow, like all the weight is in the 2 Cylindrical bridges and they want to torque. The Powerblock handles are shiny, like a sort of chromed look. I've considered trying to " rough em" with sand paper lol probably a bad idea. It'll be sports tape I think

I could smell them as soon as I opened the box. I googled and found something about their Urethane failing in " warm garages ". They still smell now but I'd need to have them closer to my face, Yeah I'm concerned.

I don't know how much weight to place on this, but my understanding is Urethane shouldn't smell, and my Rogue dumbbells have no scent even point blank sniff and never did.

https://topclassactions.com/lawsuit-...lls-defective/

No odor to my urethane PBs and I have an overly sensitive sense of smell. Something is amiss there.

Re the grips, check out Talon Grips. They're designed for firearms, but they sell a few DIY products that can be used for other items as well. https://talongungrips.com/other-grips/diy-material/

[thejosef]

I've got a set of Urethane U50s that have torn like crazy where the urethane meets the connector bar.. making certain weight ranges unusable. I've contacted PowerBlock, but they've ignored me for a couple weeks now. Pretty disappointed in them in general and will be posting pics on Reddit soon. Lol. Just annoying to get ignored like that.

[PCRulesPSDrools]

I've got a set of Urethane U50s that have torn like crazy where the urethane meets the connector bar.. making certain weight ranges unusable. I've contacted PowerBlock, but they've ignored me for a couple weeks now. Pretty disappointed in them in general and will be posting pics on Reddit soon. Lol. Just annoying to get ignored like that.

I wouldn't mind seeing pics of what I can expect. Maybe it will help me prepare to fix or prevent the problem.

[DarthCholo]

the contoured rubber grip on my old Urethane model was excellent. you would of been happy with that handle. the pictures of the knurled handles I see on website i always thought was photoshopped so it was more obvious it was knurled. I didn't know they were actually more like diamond plate than real knurling.

can you guy a 2nd pair of handles? Do they have a 20lb handle with rubber grip?

[supramax]

the contoured rubber grip on my old Urethane model was excellent. you would of been happy with that handle. the pictures of the knurled handles I see on website i always thought was photoshopped so it was more obvious it was knurled. I didn't know they were actually more like diamond plate than real knurling.

can you guy a 2nd pair of handles? Do they have a 20lb handle with rubber grip?

Don't forget that his pros are 50 lbs and not expandable.

[urbanlifter]

Don't forget that his pros are 50 lbs and not expandable.

I'm a big fan of the non-expandable 50lb sets that don't require adder weights. I'd almost revise what I've said previously and say the 50lb sets are what everyone should buy (instead of the 90lb), then anything higher look to grab a pair of the Ironmaster's for heavy work. I'm still waiting on the Sport EXP series to return to stock so I can re-purchase the ones I sold during the pandemic.

[DarthCholo]

I'm a big fan of the non-expandable 50lb sets that don't require adder weights. I'd almost revise what I've said previously and say the 50lb sets are what everyone should buy (instead of the 90lb), then anything higher look to grab a pair of the Ironmaster's for heavy work. I'm still waiting on the Sport EXP series to return to stock so I can re-purchase the ones I sold during the pandemic.

The pro non expansible is in stock right now. Why do you prefer the exp's over these? Just price?

Also fyi. I just bought them to replace the poweblocks I sold also. My iron masters will now have the 22.5lb weight permanently mounted most of the time. i missed having poweblocks for lighter weights. I had expandable 50lb in the past and missed them. didn't miss using the added weights for 5lb weight changes.

[supramax]

I'm a big fan of the non-expandable 50lb sets that don't require adder weights. I'd almost revise what I've said previously and say the 50lb sets are what everyone should buy (instead of the 90lb), then anything higher look to grab a pair of the Ironmaster's for heavy work. I'm still waiting on the Sport EXP series to return to stock so I can re-purchase the ones I sold during the pandemic.

I was responding to the question about a 20 lb rubber grip handle for a 50 lb non expandable set.

I have a non expandable Sport 5.0 set and the 90 lb Sport EXPs. I love them both, but the inner handle width of the 5.0s is only 4 inches compared to the 5 & 3/4 inch space of the EXPs.

I disagree on your 'over 50 lbs' recommendation. The 90 lb Sport EXPs are perfect! Anything over 90 lbs and I'd agree about IronMasters, though. Currently, I use these for anything over 90 lbs:

[urbanlifter]

The pro non expansible is in stock right now. Why do you prefer the exp's over these? Just price?

Price is one aspect, but also the recent issues we have seen with the longevity of the Urethane.

I've had classic sets that were 15+ years old and problem free, the EXP just gives me peace of mind.

I disagree on your 'over 50 lbs' recommendation. The 90 lb Sport EXPs are perfect!

Reason for that being if you buy the 90lb Powerblocks AND then buy IM's for heavier work, you have a massive range of the IM's that will go unused. Where if you have the Powerblocks up to 50lbs you will use the IM's alot more and subsequently get your money out of them. Nothing really knocking the 90lb set's of PB's though, it's just how I'm starting to view things now after owning so many different sets. But if I looked to only own one set it would be the EXP 90lbs....

[ncsuLuke]

I have the 90lb PBs and 120lb IMs and I wouldn't have it any other way tbh. I started with the 50lb PBs because I found the IMs so annoying to change the weight, especially from 100lb bench to 30lb lateral raises. Then I realized how nice it was to change the weight on the PBs and eventually upgraded to 70lbs and then again to 90lbs. I pretty much don't touch the IMs for sub 90lb work and that's fine with me, still cheaper and more compact than a full set of dumbbells.